


Not Like The Others

by GothMaureen



Category: Pirates of the Caribbean (Movies)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Badassery From Ladies, F/M, Gen, Magic, Mermaids, Some Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-01-01
Updated: 2013-04-12
Packaged: 2017-11-19 21:13:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/577723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GothMaureen/pseuds/GothMaureen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ariane is a mermaid.  Not just any mermaid though. She is an udine, the most powerful and elusive of all those who live in the ocean's depths. In her quest to find and fight Davy Jones, she stumbles upon something much more.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a story I've had in the works since the release of Dead Man's Chest, with that awful cliffhanger ending and gap before At World's End came out. This was before I even knew what fanfiction was, really. I was just bored and wanted to entertain myself, so I came up with my own version of what might happen next. I figured, if we're saying Davy Jones exists, why not mermaids? So I came up with Ariane, and the rest is history. Obviously I had to tweak my story once the movie actually came out, and then when On Stranger Tides came out as well, but I think I've found a way to make it work. Basically, in this canon, there are many different species of mermaids that have their own specific characteristics (more on that later). 
> 
> I do not own Pirates of the Caribbean or any of the characters mentioned herein, they are the property of Disney. All I do own is Ariane, and anything having to do with udine/mermaid lore (within reason).

You think you know mermaids, do you? You think they are all vicious beauties who will jump at any chance for a taste of flesh?

Well, that is true. 

But there is so much more than that. Mermaids have lived on this Earth for as long as humans have. 

How do I know this, you ask? 

Well, I am one myself. But that is only part of who I am. If you care to stay, I will tell you the rest: the tale of my time with the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow, and how I came to realize that I was destined for much greater things that just ruling the oceans.

My name is Ariane, and I am the princess of the udine. A mermaid. And this is my story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is just a prologue of sorts, so that we can get a feel for what's gonna happen. I hope you enjoyed it, and I should start updating this somewhat regularly.


	2. To Gain, You Must Also Give

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The mermaid's tale starts with a storm, and a tail.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. I have literally been working on this chapter since January, when I posted the prologue. It just wan't cooperating. This chapter takes place during Dead Man's Chest, BEFORE Jack and crew show up to visit Tia Dalma. The time and whatnot in this fic will probably be a little funky, but I'll make sure to always let you know where we are in the original canon (on a chapter by chapter basis). 
> 
> I'm not entirely happy with the way I wrote Tia Dalma (accents are hard!), but it could probably be way worse. 
> 
> Enjoy!

If it was possible, the storm made the night even darker than it should have been. The trees waved and smacked against Tia Dalma’s house, and the wind sang its angry song. Something was different, strange about the gale raging outside, the voodou priestess could feel it. There was something otherworldly going on, there was no doubt about that. Peering out of a window, Tia Dalma suddenly saw something amidst the howling wind and crashing waters, something that glinted like silver. Wrapping her shawls tighter around herself, the priestess pushed the door open and managed to walk out to the edge of the porch of her home. Kneeling down on the wood, Tia Dalma again saw the same glimmer of light in the water. There was a moment as she simply stared down into the churning water before a pale hand shot out of the depths, reaching out towards the house, and Tia Dalma herself.

****

Somehow unfazed by this, the priestess grasped the hand, hoping to pull the poor half-dead creature from the water. What happened next was something different entirely. There was a flash of light, and the water in front of Tia Dalma began to swirl faster and faster. Letting go of the hand and leaping back, the dark-skinned woman waited by the safety of her door, clutching the silver locket around her neck. The whirlpool rose, and as soon as it was above the deck of the house it dropped something very heavy onto the porch before vanishing back into the water below.

****

“It cannot be..” Tia Dalma muttered to herself, now staring at the creature laying on the wood in front of her. From the waist up, it was human: long inky hair falling down over the chest, a plethora of chains and cord necklaces around the neck, and at the waist was a belt of what looked like braided seaweed, with small stones of blue, green and white knotted into it: a similar thing was twisted into the creature’s hair and a stone of deep emerald rested in the woman’s forehead.

****

But the rest of her was not human at all: scales of darkest blue-black swirled from her waist down, forming a magnificent tail. At the end, a powerful fin rested; the same deep color as the rest of the mermaid’s scales. Where scale met skin Tia Dalma could see a belt of worn brown leather, a dagger sheathed on each of the pale-skinned creature’s hips. As well, daggers of similar size also were strapped to the mermaid’s well-muscled arms, which bore tattoos of soft silver-blue that flowed like the water below. The priestess inched closer to the sea creature, and kneeled once again. Now Tia Dalma could see the cuts all over the mermaid’s flesh, and the deep gash that ran a good few inches down her tail. “What ‘appened to you, mermaid?” The priestess whispered.

****

There was no response from the mermaid, and the storm did not seem to be ending anytime soon, so Tia Dalma knew what she had to do. Sliding her arms underneath the mermaid’s, and gripping the dark-haired creature’s waist the darker skinned woman managed to drag the half-fish, half-woman inside the house. Noticing that some of the scales at the mermaid’s hips seemed dry, the priestess quickly retreated farther into the house and returned with a metal bucket full of water and rags. Wrapping the sodden cloths over the vulnerable bits of scale, Tia Dalma set to inspecting the mermaid’s wounds.

The worst of them was clearly the deep gash running down the mermaid’s tail, but the priestess did not dare attend to that without her patient awake: merpeople were fierce, and incredibly protective of themselves. Instead, Tia Dalma carefully dabbed at the other wounds present on the mermaid’s body, tying a bandage around a particularly nasty-looking cut around the mermaid’s left wrist. What the priestess really needed was to get the mermaid fully immersed in water, and to wake her up, but Tia Dalma was not strong enough to lift the mermaid, let alone carry her anywhere. The priestess would have to wait until her guest awoke on her own.

****

_**xxxxxx** _

It only took a few hours, and two changes of water-drenched cloths before the mermaid’s eyes opened, and she coughed and sputtered awake. Tia Dalma jolted in her chair, and looked down at the clearly confused creature on the floor. The mermaid opened her mouth and spoke in the sleek speech of her people, the words unfamiliar to the priestess. Then she spoke, this time in cold, hard English. “Who are you and where am I?”

****

“You’re alright, little sea-girl.” Tia Dalma said from her chair, leaning as close as she dared to the mermaid. “The waters brought you ‘ere.”

****

“But-” The dark-haired creature started, then noticed the silver locket hanging around the priestess’ neck and stopped. She muttered a single word in her own tongue, but both knew what it meant.

****

“My name is Ariane. I am...”She stumbled over her words, trying to grasp a tongue she hardly used. “..the princess of the udine.” The mermaid said, staring up at Tia Dalma. “I am the last of my kind, I fear. The battle claimed the lives of everyone I know...how I escaped is still a mystery to me.”

****

“Perhaps destiny brought you here, to this place.” Tia Dalma said, raising her hands to gesture to the house. “It certainly has for others.”

****

Ariane went to speak, but gasped instead; the wound in her tail was clearly not getting any better. The priestess climbed out of her chair and knelt on the floor beside the mermaid, reaching out a tentative hand to inspect the gash. It was quite bad, and though it wasn’t bleeding, Ariane cringed in pain when Tia Dalma ran a finger close to it. “Is a bad wound, princess. Only one thing I know may heal one like this.”

****

“What? I cannot bear a pain like this much longer.”

****

Tia Dalma stared into the mermaid’s eyes, and spoke with strong words. “Become human, little mermaid. I can give you da power to change shape.”

****

Ariane recoiled, dark eyes blazing. “That is the only way?”

****

“You want to live, to fight-”

****

“Yes!” The mermaid screamed, her voice lost in the whirl of the storm around them. “Do it, please!!”

****

Tia Dalma smiled, and stood up. She returned with a small vial of swirling gold liquid and a sharp knife. Holding out the dagger, the priestess spoke. “In order to gain, you must give up.”

****

“I will do it on my own terms.” Ariane said, pulling one of her own knives from her hip and raising it. Black locks of hair fell to the floor, and Tia Dalma poured the vial’s contents over the mermaid’s wound while muttering soft words under her breath.

**  
**And so, in the midst of a raging storm, a mermaid became human and her story began.


End file.
